Grapple.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

A. LANDRY.

GRAPPLE.

APPLICATION FILED 81338114. 1906.

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No. 856.708. PATENTED JUNE 11, 197.

A. LANDRY. GRAPPLE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

ALenE LANDRY, or MARK, LOUISIANA.

GRAPPLE.

N0. 856,708. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 11, 1907.

Application filed September 14,1906. Serial No 334,612.

practical embodiment of same, in which like characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, show- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALci'ln LANDRY, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Mark, in the parish of Vest Baton Rouge and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and ing acaneloader provided with my improved useful Improvements in Grapples; and I. do grapple, in a position to be tripped over a hereby declare the following to be a full, cane cart connected to the rear of the cane clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in grapples, and while it may be generally emloyed for loading and unloading cane, it is particularly designed for use in the fields for gathering the sugar cane and loading same into cane carts.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to provide a device without flexible connections in its main construction, where by a strong and rigid grapple is produced,

said cane cart being illustrated in Fig. 2 is a perspective view of grapple shown in its closed loader, dotted lines. my improved suspended position. Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the grapple, shown in its extreme open position for grabbing a heap of cane, the flexible connections between the elevating means and. the grapple jaws being shown partly broken away, and the elevating means and the tripping device being omitted, and Fig. a is a side elevation of the trip ping device, the position of the tripping arm, when the device is tripped, being also shown in dotted lines.

Another feature of the invention is in the In Fig. 1 the cane cart illustrated is similar particular construction of the grapple, in construction to the cart shown and described in my application for Letters Patent filed April 24, 1906, Serial No. 313,448, and for the purposes of the present application requires reference to the parts.

1 designates the body or platform of the wagon or cart, provided with a rotatably mounted mast 2, operating arm 3, pivoted boom i, equalizer 5, winding drum 6, and band brake 7.

8 designates the mule cable fastened at one end around said drum, and 9 is the elevating cable connected at one end to said drum and reeving over suitable pulleys and suspended from the outer end of said boom and connected to the tripping device hereinafter referred to.

10 is an adjusting cable connected to the equalizer 5 through a suitable block and tackle connection secured to the upper end of the mast 2, and 11 is a cable reeving over suitably disposed pulleys carried by said boom and mast for adjusting the elevated position of said boom.

12 designates the jaws of the grapple which may be of any suitable contour and having any suitable number of teeth. In the draw ings at the upper end of the jaws, there are shown spaced extension arms 13 which may be an integral part of the bar forming the top of the jaw and being bent extensions of the end jaw teeth. These spaced extension arms interlap each whereby it is completely closed around the heap of caneupon operating the elevating means and when tripped will drop with the jaws open to their greatest extent in a position substantially vertical to the ground and will remain in such position when the grapple is 0 lowered to grap another heap of cane, whereby the greatest possible area is covered by the jaws.

Another feature of the invention is the particular flexible connection between the 5 elevating cable and the grapple jaws, whereby when the grapple has been tripped and the load of cane has opened the jaws to a cer tain extent, the we'ght of the device will be taken on the suspending flexible means and 40 the position of the pivotal connection between the jaws having been changed, the jaws will be opened to their fullest extent by gravity, the particular connection of the susending flexible means with the grapple jaws furnishing greater leverage to insure t ie complete opening of the jaws.

Another feature of the invention resides in the particular form of tripping mechanism for the grapple.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description, and while I do not restrict myself to the specific details illustrated and described, still for the purpose of disclosure and that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, illustrating a other and are pivotally no further description than a brief when the jaws are in the position shown in Fig. 3, the grapple is in its full extended position with the jaw teeth disposed substantially vertical secured together as at 14, and at their upper free ends as at 15 are pivotally connected with links 16 connected together as at 17 by a suitable pivot means which may be in the form of a ring, as shown, the links 16 and the grab a heap of cane, the area of cane to be spaced extension arms 13 forming a lazy I covered bemg the greatest possible within tongs arrangemen The grapple jaws are the limits of the devlce. In this position the also provided with the leverage arms 18 ex- I elevating cable 9 1s lowered and the tripping tending substantially at right angles to the arm 27 passed through the r ng 17 and 13, and these leverage position of the bars to the jaws by means of arms may be braced the brace rods 19.

he tripping device consists of the spaced member 20 provided with a suspendlng ring 21 and having a lateral extension 22, and a curved pin 23 on the opposite side to said extension.

24 is a latch pivotally connected between the spaced walls of said member 20, as at 25, l engaged at one end by the tripping cable 26 engage at its notched end end of the curved tripping pivotally connected as at 28 at the cm of said member 20.

29 designates a coil spring encircling pin 23 and interposed between the latch 24 and the member 20 for holding said latch in its operative position. i

30 designates flexible connections between th the tripping device or elevating cable and the grapple jaws, forking off at their lower ends into three branche 31, one of said branches of the cart. vice, the load of cane certain distance, when the weight of the jaws 1 be taken up by the flexible means 30.

It will be observed now that ordinarily the flexible means for suspending the jaws when I the load is tripped, would simply hold the jaws in an open position, suflicient to allow of the dumping of the cane, but by my present construction it will be seen that the pivotal point 14 havin been moved by the initial opening of the jaws, the flexible connection between the tripping device and the will open the jaws a side branches 31. Having thus described the invention, what claim is 4 1. In a grapple, the combination with a pair of jaws provided with extension arms pivotally connectedv together intermediate of their ends, of a pair of links pivotally connected together at one of their ends and at connected to the respective ends of said extension arms, and forming a lazy-tongs arrangement, a tripping the pivoted ends of said links, means for tripping said device to allow said lazy-tongs to collapse and initially open said jaws by the weight of the a leverage arm extending laterally and outwardly from each of said jaws and disposed in a position to be of said pivoting links and jaws proper.

It will be noted that the flexible means 30 do not act as tripping means and also that their upper ends are secured to the elevating means or tripping of these flexible means remains constant, as contradistinguishedfrom other de vices whereinflexible means of a grapple and after the load has been elevated and the tripping cables secured, upon lowering the load.

It will also be observed that the leverage arms are so positioned with relation to the jaws that they never come within the limits of the lazy-tongs arrangement, that is to say they are disposed at a considerable distance to one side of the pivotal point 14, both in the closed and particularly the open position of the grapple. Also it will be observed that when the jaws are in theiropen position as well as when closed, the pivotal point 14, connecting the extensions on said jaws, lies lazy-tongs and loconnected at one end to saidtripping device and at their other ends branched and connected independently to said leverage arms and said jaws proper, substantially as described.

2. In a grapple, the combination with a closed, the tendency of the hooks d1 ing pair of pivoted jaws, of a tripping devlce for into t e ground is not so reat, owing to the detachably suspending said aws from an eleleverage, as when the pivot connecting the vating cable, comprising a spaced base memarms is disposed in a plane below the top of her provided with a tripping lever bent subthe jaws. stantially at right angles to form a long and From the foregoing it will be seen that short arm, said short arm being pivotally sealways to one side cured to said base member, a spring controlled latch pivotally mounted at the opposite end of said base member and notched to engage the free end disposed in a vertical position, means for operating said latch to trip said bent lever, and inextensible flexible connections interposed between said tripping device and said jaws, substantially as described.

3. In a grapple, the combination with a pair of jaws provided with extension arms pivotally connected intermediate ol" their ends, a pair of links pivotally connected together at one end and at their other end piv-- otally connected to the respective free ends of said extension arms forming a lazy-tongs arrangement; a tripping device adapted to suspend said lazy-tongs device comprising a spaced base member having a lateral extension thereon, and provided at its lower end with a pivoted curved arm adapted to seat,

of said long arm when l l l l l l i in its locked position between said spaced extension, and provided at its upper end with a spring-operated pivoted latch having a notched end adapted to engage the lree end of said curved tripping arm; means for tripping said latch; a leverage arm provided on each ol" said jaws and extending outwardly therefrom at a position on one side o'l" said pivotal points and said lazy-tongs arrangement, and inextensible flexible means connected to said tripping device at one end an( at their other ends branched and connected independently to said leverage arms and said jaws proper, substantially as described.

In testimony whereo'l', l allix my signatiu'e, in presence of two witnesses.

ALCEE LANDRY.

\Vitnesses:

S. J. Boone, R. A. Gare. 

